Template:Purge/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Purge. It may contain usage information, categories, and other content that is not part of the original template page.

This template is transcluded in one or more cascade-protected pages, so only administrators can edit it.

{{Purge}} produces a link that will purge the page's cache and rebuild it from the wikitext.

Purpose

For efficiency in service, MediaWiki caches pages. Depending on the exact sequence of actions editors follow, one may view an out-of-date version of a given page. This happens most often on heavily-edited pages and on pages which contain an instance of transclusion.

{{Purge}} adds to any page a link that, when clicked, not only reloads the page, but clears the server cache, forcing the page to be completely rendered "from scratch". This is not a one-time solution; generally, editing a page is itself sufficient to purge cache. Rather, it is a measure taken in anticipation of the frequent need to purge.

Examples

Code	Yields	Result
{{Purge}}		Creates a purge link for the page it is used on.
{{Purge|Purge this page's server cache.}}		Creates a purge link for the page it is used on, but with the text "Purge this page's server cache."
{{Purge|page=Main Page}}		Creates a purge link for Main Page.
{{Purge|Purge this page's server cache.|page=Main Page}}		Creates a purge link for Main Page, but with the text "Purge this page's server cache."
{{Purge|anchor=TemplateData}}		Creates a purge link for the page it is used on, which points to the "TemplateData" section.

When you are linking to a section, purging that page will cause you to lose the section link.